Post-Trip Report: By John Eick, Mission Team Participant:

April 16, 2007

Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize is a small nation on the eastern coast of Central America on the Caribbean Sea bordered by Mexico to the northwest and Guatemala to the west and south. In the extreme northeast of Belize, is Ambergris Caye, an island in the Caribbean. The largest town on Ambergris Caye is San Pedro, site of Holy Cross Anglican School, the focus of our recent mission trip.

San Pedro is a beautiful resort. Located on the Caribbean, it overlooks the second longest barrier reef in the world about ½ mile offshore. The Town features diving, sailing, and a variety of other water sports. Its restaurants, many right on the beach, are excellent. However, beneath the thin veneer of carefree tourists, sparkling blue water and million dollar yachts lies a different San Pedro. It is a San Pedro of dusty roads, corrugated shacks, outhouses, and hungry children with no shoes.

Francis and Vernon Wilson, Anglican missionaries from the U.S., were planning a well deserved retirement in Belize when they came upon this side of San Pedro. They decided to do something about it.

With the sponsorship of the Anglican Diocese of Belize and time, talent and treasure from many volunteers, Francis and Vernon have established Holy Cross Anglican School to serve the children of San Pedro. The school opened last September and now serves over 150 students. The school currently consists of five wooden buildings, and plans are to have a total of 13 erected for the new school year in September 2007. No child is turned away from the school for inability to pay.

Most of the children are drawn from the nearby neighborhood of San Mateo. Normally, the prospects for the children of San Mateo would not be bright, due to the poverty and difficult living conditions. However, Holy Cross Anglican School provides a ray of hope for children who otherwise would not have much hope in their lives.

Our mission team consisted of 15 members of St. Michaels. Our ages ranged from 15 to 60+-- boys, girls, women and men. Some of us had basic construction skills; some were musicians; some were teachers; some of us were just teen-agers on Spring Break who wanted to help. However, the one thing we all had in common was our desire to spread the Gospel by sharing the love of Christ.

Some of our team focused on construction. The work, under the tropical sun, was hot, dusty, and tiring. However, we found it very satisfying because the results were immediately apparent. We constructed decks and railings, framed partitions, erected and finished drywall. Bathrooms were painted and furniture was sanded and finished.

By far the most satisfying part of our week was interacting with the children. Our trip coincided with Spring Break, so we conducted a Vacation Bible School for several hours each morning. This involved stories, lessons, crafts, and songs. Each morning, a snack was provided. In some cases, this would be the only food a child would eat in the entire day. When word got out in the community about what was going on at Holy Cross, some of the younger children brought their older siblings along. We started a “Sports Camp” to entertain the older children so they would not distract their younger brothers and sisters in Vacation Bible School.

Despite being very poor in material things, these children are alert, engaging, loving and mischievous. Many are from broken families. They expressed their need for affection by asking to be held and hugged. We all readily complied.

There were many themes for our week. One that keeps coming back to me is “intensity”. We experienced the intense tropical sun. We witnessed the intense colors of coastal Belize—the greens and blues of the water and the pinks and purples of the sunsets. We had intense spiritual experiences in church and in our daily devotions—particularly in worshipping with our brothers and sisters in the Cathedral in Belize City and in the Way of the Cross through the streets of San Pedro. We experienced intense emotions as we cared for those children who have so many needs and were so grateful for our presence. We developed strong, sometimes intense, bonds among ourselves as we sweated, ate, prayed and laughed together.

A common message on the T-shirts in San Pedro’s shop windows says “Seeing is Belizing”. We saw Christ revealed in many ways on our mission trip to Belize during Holy Week 2007; it was an experience that none of us will ever forget.

John Eick

April 16, 2007